Air cleaner and silencer



Filed July 22, 1935 5 Sheets-Sheet l 1937- G. c. RENSINK AIR CLEANER AND SILENCER Filed July 22, 1935 5 Sheets-Sheet 2- Jan. 5, 1937.

G. C. RENSINK AIR CLEANER AND SILENCER Filed- 1113 22. 1935 s Sheets-Sheet s f/z V/ZZOZ ayGeozye CT FZkDSZHk' 9). WM

Fatcnteol. 1

riiiTiE @LEANER AiNB SEILE'NCEEIE George o. Reusinh, Denver, Gold.

My invention relates to an air cleaner and silencer, and is an improvement over a similar device which is set forth in a United States Patent No. 1,994,006 granted to me on March 12, 1935.

The main object of the invention is to provide an air cleaner and silencer for all uses where such a device may be employed, but particularly for internal combustion engines; the dust, before coming in contact with the cleaner being raised against gravity whereby the heavy particles in the dust are eliminated. i

A further object of the inventioh is to provide a screen which automatically and continuously cleans or rids itself of all dust particles and therefore cannot become clogged, which does not restrict the fiow of air therethrough, and which is not afiectecl by climatic conditions.

A further object is to provide an air cleaner and silencer which is adaptable for either up or down draft carburetors, and in which the silencer element is in the form of a reversible unit which may be removed when not required, the cleaner requiring no attention throughout its life,- the units comprising the device being so connected that they may be quickly assembled or removed, and the construction being such that the air is always drawn in through the bottom of the device.

These and other objects are accomplished in the manner set forth in the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a view partly in section-and partly in side elevation, showing the device as arranged for attachment to a down draft carburetor;

Figure 2 is a view similar to Figure 1, but showing the parts as arranged, when the device is used for an up draft carburetor;

Figure 3 is a view partly in side elevation and partly in section, the sound silencing element having' been removed, and different means being shown for holding the bottom plate in clamped relation to the air cleaner, the arrangement being for an up draft carburetor;

Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 1, but show ing a difierent style of air cleaning element;

- Figure 5 is a view similar to Figure 4, the sound silencing element being removed, the bottom plate being clamped against the air cleaner by a re-- versed arrangement of the clamping means shown in Figure 3, this arrangement being for a down draft carburetor;

Figure 6 is a vertical section through a portion of the silencer assembly and is taken on line S--t, Figure '7;

Figure l is a section taken on line 5-7, Figure 6;

8 is a fragmentary section showing one way of holding one of the diaphragms in place;

Figure 9 is a fragmentary section showing one type of joint between the tube and cleaner plate;

the device, looking in the direction of arrow it in Figure 3;

Figure 11 1s a section through .the olwner element showing a crlmped joint between the ends thereof;

Figure 12 is a vertical section through the filter element showing the construction thereof to a somewhat enlarged scale; and

Figure 13 is a section through one side of the silencer assembly, similar to the sections shown in Figures 4 and 5 and shows a slightly modified construction. I

In the drawings letter A designates the cylindrb cal casing or housing in which the filter and the silencing-elements are located. The casing, as shown, is formed from a cylindrical wall i and an upwardly bulging top 2 having its outer edge upper edge of the cylindrical wall by a crimped joint 3, or by any other type or joint.

When material having the proper ductility is used the wall and the top can be drawn or spun from a single piece. The top is provided with an aperture 5 and the surface surrounding this aperture is upwardly flared as'indicated at 6. The lower edge of thecylindrical wall is bent inwardly and upwardly, so as to lie along the inside of the wall as indicated by reference numeral 1 and the upper edge of this fold is turned inwardly so as to provide a flange-8.

An annular bottom plate 9 has its outer edge resting against the under surface of flange 8 and has an annular downwardly convex portion it whose center is cut away to form an aperture ii. The bottom, directly surrounding the opening ii,

erabiy to the same extent as the portion of the top indicated by numeral ii.

The bottom is provided (in Figures 1, 2 and 3) with two concentric circular beads l2 whose concave surfaces are on the top and serve as supports for the filter elements it and i l, whose upper ends engage the concave under-surface of the positioning ring I5 that is attached to the underside of the top by means of brackets I5, to which the ring is connected by bolts ii. The filter elements It and id, as shown in Figures 1, 2 and 3, are irusto-conical, the inner one tapering downward,- ly and the outer one, tapering upwardly and when in position have their lower edges positioned in the spaced depressions 01. heads l2 and their upper edges positioned in the concave portion of ring it. Referring now to Figure 10, it will be seen that the bottom 9 is provided with a plurality of ,arcuate openings it that are positioned between the beads 52 and serve to admit air into the space between the filter elements.

Referring now, more particularly to Figure 3, it will be seen that the bottom is attached to the '3 downwardly flared and connected with the.

. is flared or inclined in the same manner and pref- I ing strap and through an opening in the disk 29 brackets i6 by bolts l9 which project through openings 20 in the bottom and through openings in the brackets; these bolts pass through the space between the filter elements and are provided with nuts 2| that serve to clamp the filter elements and hold them in position.

The brackets are removably secured to the top by bolts 22. The arrangement illustrated in Figure 3 is for an up draft carburetor and a tubular "connector 23, which is provided with a irustoconical flange 24, is positioned on the cover and rests on the flared surface 6. A ring 25 projects over the flange 24 and is secured to the top by means of bolts 26 that also secure the ends of a V-shaped supporting strap whose arms have been designated by numeral 21. A bolt 28 passes through an opening in the bottom of the supportwhich closes the aperture I I.

The disk 29 has a flaring edge that fits against the corresponding flared surface of the bottom directly surrounding the aperture H. When nut 30 is tightened, .disk 29 will be firmly secured in position.

The tubular member rality of slits 3i and is surrounded by a strap 32 whose ends 33 extend radially and are provided with openings 34 for the reception of a clamping bolt, which has not been shown.

If the cleaner is to be used with a down-draft carburetor the tubular member 23 is placed at the bottom and in communication with aperture H. The clamping ring 25 is also transferred to the bottom and is held in position by the bolts 26 which now'pass through openings 35 that are provided for this purpose, and which are closed by suitable means when not in use. The disk .29 is now used to close the aperture 5,,all as shown in The filter elements are formed from a special air filter fabric which is made from matted fibers and which has been designated by reference numeral 36 in Figures 11 and 12. On the inside surface of the filter material a fine wire screen 31 is positioned and on opposite sides of the assembly woven wire screen members 38 are located. The ends are connected by a crimped joint 39. By using a fine screen 31 on the suction side of the filter layer 36, the latter can be thinner than otherwise practical, as the fine mesh screen will reenforce it and prevent it from 'being pulled through the openings in the screen 38.

The filter material 96 is compacted between the woven wire screens which hold the fibers in place with the result that the outer surface soon becomes quite smooth and compact since the wiresof the outside screen sink into the filter material and the fibers areforced inwardly by the entering air so that dust particles will not accumulate on the filter surface.

The filter, being mounted on an engine or on an automobile or tractor is subjected to constant vibration, which, it'has been found, lcese;..-.s any 23 is provided with a pludust and dirt with the result that the cleaner does not require any servicing.

From the above description and from an inspection of Figures 1 and 2, it will be apparent that the casing is always positioned with its open end downwardly, and since the cleaner is of ample size (approximately ten inches in diameter) the velocity of the air as it enters from be low is very low with the result that only a small proportion of the dust carried by the air enters, as the velocity is not sufficient to raise it against the action of gravity, and this also prevents the entry of moisture particles.

It is often desirable to eliminate the noise due to the intake of the air at the carburetor and when this is to be done the cleaners illustrated in Figures 3 and 5 are. modified by the addition of silencing material.

Referring now to Figures 1 and 2, it will be seen that the supporting strap 21 has been removed and that a silencing assembly has been substituted therefor which consists of a cylindrical member 56 of foraminated sheet metal. Connected to the lower edge of member so, by a crimped joint l is an annular plate 52 which is curved transversely so as to fit the inside of the 'correspondinportion E0 of the bottom.

Connected with the inner edge of plate d2, by a crimped joint 53, is a cylindrical member An annular diaphragm d5, shaped as shown in Figures 1 and 2, is attached to the upper edge (Figure 1) of the cylindrical member 64 by a crimped joint 36 and the outer edge of this diaphragm is curved downwardly and terminates in a circular flange 41 that engages the inner surface of member 60 directly beneath the inwardly projecting head 88. The parts 22, M and d5 cooperate with a portion of the inner surface of member $0 to form an annular chamber 59 that is filled with cotton. A layer of cheese cloth is positioned between the cotton and the walls to prevent fibers from being sucked through the openings. Instead of cotton any other similar fibrous material can be used.

Member has a second head 5! that is h)- cated above bead d8 (Figure l) and a circular diaphragm 52 has its outer edge curved upwardly as indicated by numeral 53, and in engagement with the inside of member 60 above bead 5|. The diaphragm 52 is concave on its lower side, as shown in the drawings.

The compartment formed by the diaphragm 52 and upper portion of the cylindrical member 40 is filled with silencing material, such as cotton, I

and 51 cooperate with the silencer assembly to hold the bottom 9 in place and this takes the place of the V-shaped strap 21 and bolts 26 and 29 shown in Figure 3.

The silencer assembly just described is reversible, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, to make the cleaner and silencer suitable for either a down draft carburetorv (Figure-l) or an up draft carburetor (Figure 2). In Figures 1 and 2, the

clamping ring 25 has been omitted and flange 24 located on the inside and held in position by member 42.

omitted and corresponding changes made.

Applicant does not want to be limited to either of these constructions. The large openings. 58 in member are provided for convenience only as the member 50 is foraminated and suificient air can enter through the foraminations.

Since Figure 2 is a reversal of the arrangement shown in Figure 1, and since the parts have been given the same reference numerals in both figures. no description of Figure 2 will be given. When the words above or belowf' are used, reference is had to Figure 1.

The structures illustratedin Figures 4 and 5 differ from the structures shown respectively in Figures 1 and 3 principally in this, that in the latter two filter elements 13 and M have been shown, whereas in the structure illustrated. in Figures 4 and 5, the filter element It has been 11 Figures 4 and 5, the ring I5 and the brackets l6 have been omitted and the upper edge of the filter elementis positioned. in the annular depression 3a.- Since flange 8 is not needed, the

lower edge of the wall I has been rolled as indicated at 59. In other respects the structure illustrated in Figures 4 and 5 is substantially the sameas that shown in Figures land 2, and therefore no detailed description is considered to be necessary.

In Figures 1 and 2, member 40 has been shown as provided with small beads 60 and GI located so as to be engaged by the edges of flanges M and 53, respectively, 'while in Figures 4 and 5 prick punch projections 82 are used for this purpose, and the object of beads 50 and BI or projections 52 is to hold the diaphragms 45 and 52 in position during manufacture and thereafter. In Figure 6 a slight modification has been shown in which the parts have been illustrated to an enlarged scale, and in which the cylindrical member 40 has been shown as provided with the bead 5| only. Diaphragm 52 is located underneath the bead BI, and is connected with the annulardiaphragml! by angle strips 63 of the shape and character shown in section in Figure '7,

of which a plurality are employed. Strips 53 may be soldered or spot welded to the diaphrag'ms. The bottom 42 is secured to member 40 by a crimped joint I. When the construction illustrated in Figure 6 is used, the two diaphragms 45 and 52 can be inserted and removed as a unit.

In Figure 8.the diaphragm 52 has been shown as attached to member 40 by being spot welded thereto as indicated by numeral 64.

, In Figure 9 the flange 24 .has been shown as formed from a separate piece and attached to the tubular member by a crimped joint 65. Attention is called to the fact that the outer surfaces of the filter elements are upwardly and outwardly inclined so as to make it more difilcult for dust to adhere and so as to facilitate the removal of any dust that does attach itself to these surfaces.

Particular attention is directed to the construction that makes it possible to remove the silencing element whenever this is not desired.

When the cleaner is used on trucks and tractors, it is evident that the silencing feature is of no importance, whereas the cleaning is of paramount importance, and in such cases, the silencer can be removed. On pleasure cars, whichcperate quietly, the silencer is desirable.

The silencer assembly has been so designed that the diaphragm 52 can first be put into position and the compartment thus formed filled with silencing material, after which the cover plate can be put into place and crimped by machinery. The annular compartment 49 can be constructed and inserted into the cylindrical member 40 and filled with silencing material after which the Joint 4| can be crimped.

The cleaner is always installed so that the air can enter from below only so as to comb ne the separating action of gravity with that of the filter.

When the filter elements are assembled the very thin filter material is first soaked in a saturated solution of salt or sugar and then permitted to dry. When the water evaporates the salt or sugar residue crystallizes and makes the filter material compact and strong so that it can be handled with safety. After the filter element has been assembled it is washed in water which redissolves and removes the salt or sugar.

Many other materials besides those mentioned can be used, but salt is satisfactory and cheap.

In Figure 13 a slightly modified construction of the silencerassembly has been shown. The idea this, that it is cup-shaped and has its circular wall 52!) extending upwardly and jolnedto the cover 54 by a crimped Joint 55. The lower silencer unit, which is annular, has the diaphragm 45a extending downwardly as indicated by 5b and connected to the base 82 by the crimped joint ll. 1

Walls 52b and 65b have each an external groove A ring Ma of ioraminated metal has two positioning beads 48a. and 5m that serve as stops for the diaphragms 45a and 52a, and are also provided with smaller beads 66 that are so positioned and shaped that they will engage the grooves 61. After the three parts have been completed the two silencer units are inserted in the ring llla and pushed together until the beads .56 snap into but is the exact equivalent thereof in operation.

The connection between the units and the ring fllla must be such that the parts will not come apart under any strains to which they will normally be subjected.

The silencer assembly is an independent unit that can be removed and replaced at will, and can be reversed so that a manufacturer will be in a position to sell a cleaner only (Figures 3 and 5) or a combined cleaner and silencer (Figures 1, 2 and 4) and to fit either an up or a down draft carburetor without carrying any additional stock.

The silencer assembly forms a sub-combina- -tion of this invention and is not an independent positioned in the open end, an upwardly flaring filter element positioned between the top and the cylindrical 'member, at one end thereof, a cylindrical chamber at the other end of the cylindri bottom, positioning means for engaging the top of the filter element, means on'the bottom for engaging the lower edge of the filter element, a disk for closing the aperture in the top, a tubular outlet member communicating with the opening in the bottom, means extending between the disk and the bottom and comprising a bolt for applying a force to the edges of the filter element to hold the latter in place, means for securing the tubular member to the bottom, comprising an outwardly extending flange on the tu-= bular member, of larger diameter than the open ing in the bottom, and means for clamping the flange to the bottom a central aperture, the top and the bottom having similarly shaped annular surfaces symmetrically arranged with respect to the center and in opposite relation, a connector assembly-comprising a cylindrical foraminated member extending between the top and 'the bottom, an annular chamber formed by foraminated walls within the cal member, a cover for the last chamber, a bolt projecting through an opening in the center of the cover, a disk for covering the aperture in the top of the casing, said diskhavingra central opening through which the bolt extends, means for securing the bottom to the connector assem- 'tioned with its larger end at the top, the l bly comprising a plurality of angularly space] bolts carried thereby for extending through correspondingly positioned holes in the bottom, a tubular member in communication with the terior. of the silencer, and means for reuse top or the bottom.

3. An air cleaner comprising in combination, a cup-like casing open at its lower end, and pro vided with a. top. a. removable bottom located in the lower end of the casing, the bottom and the casing having overlapping surfaces forming a substantially air tightcomiection, a ring oi concave-convex cross'section spaced from the on dersurface of the casing top, with its concave .side facing downwardly, the'bottom' having two spaced concentric grooves on its upper surface, and a plurality of openings for the admission oi air locatedbetween the grooves, two irusto-conical filter elements positioned between the bottom and the concave-convex ring, one of the filter elements being smaller than the other and element having its smaller e'nd at the top, tops of both filter elements being positioned the groove in the concave surface of the ring, the lower ends of the filter elements being positioned in the grooves in the bottom, means for.

attaching the bottom to the taper the casing and a tubular member incommunication with the interior of the cleaner. g

4. An air illter comprising in combination, a

cup-like casing having. its open end directed downwardly and provided with an inwardlyextending flange near its lower end, a YK LLStO-COEL cel filter element positioned in the casing with its larger end atflthe top, means carried by the top for engaging and positioning theupper end 2. An air cleaner and silencer comprising a d energiesa cuplike casing positioned with its open end downwardly, the end having an opening,

an inwardly extending i'lange at the-open end of the casing, a circular bottom of greater-diameter than the internal diameter of the flange, whereby it will overlap the latter, the bottom having a central opening, means for removably securing the bottom to the casing in sealing contact with re flange, means for closing one of the openings, means for connecting the other opening to a suction device, the bottom having a plurality of air iniet openings arranged in an annular row adiacent its periphery, an annular filter element of substantially inverted ll-shaped cross section, positioned with its edges on opposite sides of the row of openings for separating the air inlet openings from the opening leading to the suction device, and means for securing the filter element to i bottom.

air cleaner comprising in combination a Cw e casing positioned with its open end downthe closed end having an opening, a ciroottom for closing the open end of the casmeans for efiecting an air seal between the g cry of the bottom and the casing, the bottom having a central opening and two concene grooves of different diameters in its upper ace, the space between the grooves being proed with air intake. openings, means for revably securing the bottom in place, and an annular filter element of substantially inverted V- shaped cross section positioned with its edges in the grooves, means for holding the filter element in position, means for connecting one opening to a suction device and a cover for the other open- Z. An air cleaner comprising in combination, a

cup-like casing open at its lower end, and provided with a top, a removable bottom located in the lower end of the casing, the. bottom and the casing having engaging surfaces forming a substantially airtight connection, a ring of conthe under surface of the concave-convex ring,

one of the filter elements being smaller than the other and positioned with its larger end at the top, the larger element having its smaller end at the top: the tops of both filter elements engaging the under surface of the ring, the lower ends of the filter elements engaging the bottom, on opposite sides of the openings, means for connecting the bottom and the ringand means for connecting the bottom and the top.

GEGRGE C. RENSINK. 

